


Feral but Fluffy

by Kougayon



Series: Phantom Paws: Purrsona 5 Zine [1]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe, Catboy!Goro, Catboy!Ren, Catboys & Catgirls, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Humor, Implied/Referenced Abuse, M/M, Phantom Paws: Purrsona 5 Zine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:48:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27164785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kougayon/pseuds/Kougayon
Summary: “Guess I won’t be needing this anymore,” he laughs before tossing the collar into the trash and making his way out of the alleyway.Unbeknownst to the stray, the tag doesn't remain in the trash for long. A pair of grey eyes had been observing him the whole time, and once he left, its owner sneaks up to the dumpster, retrieving the name tag from there.“Akechi… Huh.”
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Series: Phantom Paws: Purrsona 5 Zine [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1982836
Comments: 1
Kudos: 108





	Feral but Fluffy

**Author's Note:**

> My piece for the Phantom Paws: Purrsona 5 Catboy Zine!! 
> 
> Please enjoy!

  
The January air bites at his limbs and face, clawing his throat open as he gasps for breath. This frigid atmosphere threatening to turn to snow at any moment is unbearable for  _ any  _ living creature _.  _ Of course making an escape in the dead of winter wasn’t his preferred plan, but the moment called for it. 

One mistake. Just one simple mistake was all it took. One of the guards had failed to secure his chain as the padlock hadn’t been pressed all the way down. This, of course, resulted in their little beast taking full advantage of such an error.

He’s been waiting  _ three years  _ for this. 

**_*CRAsH*_ **

“ _ Shit—!!”  _ Goro curses as he collides with one of the metal trash cans in the alleyway. He wastes no time in pulling himself together and continuing his flee. If they catch him now, he’s done for. Fortunately for him, it’s the dead of night. Tokyo alleyways are nearly pitch-black, which offers him some refuge behind a nearby dumpster. 

The neko curls up against the brick wall and holds his breath. His ears twitch and turn as he listens to the sound of multiple pairs of feet crunching the snow as they run past him. Looks like he lost them. 

He breathes a small sigh of relief as his exhaustion catches up to him and his eyes grow heavy.

Before he can consider how dangerous sleeping out here would be, his vision fades to black. 

.

.

.

.

The light of the sun reflects gently on the iced-over tops of the snow, hitting against his face and rousing the tired feline awake the next morning. 

He cracks his eyes open and attempts to sit up, only to squeeze them shut again. 

“ _ Ugh… _ ” he groans, his body still aching from last night. 

Goro had already partaken in a match right before his escape. He had won, of course. Which was likely what led to the guard’s mistake in the first place, considering their prized beast’s victory was followed by celebratory booze. 

You’d think his owner—er… _ former _ owner, rather—would’ve at least had someone  _ sober _ tend to their beast. Goro can’t say he’s surprised though. That asshole is always drunk himself anyway. Hell, he once became so intoxicated, he fell on his ass and blamed some nearby neko just to save face. 

Ridiculous. 

Thankfully, he’s finally free from that crooked household. 

“Free…”

He glances around at the grungy alleyway littered with snow, graffiti, and discarded trash. He doesn’t frown, rather, he smiles. It may be a trash heap canny for strays, but funny enough, it’s a sight he’d much rather see than those pristine marble floors of his former household. At least here, he doesn’t have to wear a leash or chains nor fight anybody—

**_*Clatter*_ **

Perhaps he spoke too soon on the fighting part. 

The brunet’s head whips around at the sound of something moving. It sounds like it came from the other end of the alley. However, when he looks back, there’s nothing. Only silence and a few trash cans. 

Could it be Shido’s men? Did they find him? No, surely not. If they knew where he was, they’d have rushed him by now. 

It’s probably nothing. 

Goro shakes his head and stretches his limbs, groaning at the relief given to his frigid muscles. He then feels for the leather collar still fastened around his neck and carefully unbuckles it. The brunet pulls it off and rubs at the markings around his neck while he observes the collar, smirking at the sight of his surname engraved onto the tag. 

“Guess I won’t be needing  _ this  _ anymore,” he laughs before tossing it into the trash and making his way out of the alleyway.

Unbeknownst to the stray, the tag doesn't remain in the trash for long. A pair of grey eyes had been observing him the whole time, and once he left, its owner sneaks up to the dumpster, retrieving the name tag from there.

“Akechi… Huh.”

  
  
  


🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾

  
  
  


The glee of his newfound freedom soon turns to frustration. 

Clothes tattered, his once shiny, brunet fur now matted and covered in dirt, no home, no food, and barely any sense of where he is or what he should do next. 

Goro doesn’t regret escaping though. Not in the least. Although, he’s starting to feel like he should’ve planned his next course of action a bit better. 

And yet, despite all of that, the neko has a  _ new  _ problem to worry about…

He’s pretty sure he’s being followed. 

Stuff getting knocked over behind him, unfamiliar footprints, the sound of feet treading gently through the snow… It’s admittedly starting to make him anxious. 

_ It’s not one of Shido’s men is it…? No, it can’t be. It sounds like it’s just one person…  _

Whoever they are, they must be stupid if they honestly think he can’t hear them. 

Well, letting them continuously linger behind him is dangerous, so Goro gets an idea. The neko turns down the next corner of an alley he comes across and crouches behind the wall, waiting to strike. If something truly  _ is  _ following him, it’ll be sure to peak over the wall. 

And just as he predicted, the sound of snow crunching becomes louder and louder until a single pair of black ears pokes around the corner, then the head. When the opportunity finally presents itself, Goro lunges forward, grabs the figure by their neck, and forces them up against a wall, claws and teeth bared and aimed at them while a low growl rumbles out of his chest. That’s when Goro finally gets a good look at his stalker. 

It’s… another neko?

He seems to be around the same age as him. A dark mop of curls atop his head, black fur around his neck, and a slim black tail swishing behind him as he looks directly into Goro’s eyes and grins. He makes sure to present his fangs in a harmless gesture and tuck his ears to symbolize submission. 

Goro is  _ instantly  _ annoyed.

“What the fuck do you want?” 

It takes the other neko a moment to brave Goro's fierce presence, but when he finally speaks, his voice is much deeper and silkier than Goro expected… well, despite the fact that he’s being borderline choked.

“Hi, nice to meet you too.” The stranger swallows anxiously, but is undeterred. “My name is Ren—”

“What do you _ want?” _ Goro’s claws bear down on his neck even more, eliciting a small squeak from the other. But once again, he isn’t phased one bit. 

“You think I haven’t noticed you wandering around Yongen-Jaya these past few days? Look, Maine Coon nekos aren’t usually just  _ on the street.  _ You’re lost aren’t you—“

“ _ That’s  _ none of your concern.”

Ren rolls his eyes. “Oh, well that’s just too bad… See, I was planning to offer you a place to stay.”

Goro’s ears perk up at that. His frown tweaks at the corners slightly, but he quickly resumes his guard.

“Not necessary,” he says bluntly. He’s taken aback when the raven scoffs at his reply. 

“ _ Not necessary?  _ No offence, but have you  _ looked  _ at yourself? You’re a complete mess…”

The brunet glances down at his shredded clothes and dirt-caked fur. He frowns. 

“Look,” the raven’s paws wrap gently around the other’s wrist as he speaks, “I saw your collar, okay?” When Goro growls lowly at that, Ren softens his tone even more. 

“… I’m going to assume you’re some kind of runaway, and judging from your clothes and markings, you must’ve ran away from a pretty bad place, right? And now, you’ve got nowhere to go.”

The brunet is silent. 

“Well, I’m  _ offering  _ you a place to go. It’s your choice whether or not you want to take it, but the offer is very much real and up for grabs if you like.”

Goro doesn't budge. He doesn't  _ dare  _ show hesitation to this complete stranger. However, within his own mind, he’s pondering the offer. Refuge, huh..? A place to stay and escape the cold. He could probably freshen up. And maybe—

**_Grrrrr…_ **

The sound of his stomach growling interrupts his train of thought. God, he’s been so preoccupied with watching his back that he hasn’t even considered the fact that he’s  _ starving _ . He looks up at the other neko’s obnoxiously friendly smile. 

“And yes, we have food” he says knowingly. 

Goro stares at him for a long moment, eyes trained carefully on his expression. Searching his eyes for any lies. After a few moments, he sighs and releases him. 

“Fine. I’ll accept your offer.”

Ren rubs his neck with his paws, taking deep breaths. But, his strained expression quickly returns to a smile. 

“Smart choice. I’ll take you there now—oh, but…”

“But  _ what?”  _

The raven puts a knuckle to his chin and looks the other neko up and down, as if he’s analyzing him. 

“I just realized… there’s no way I can take you into the café looking and smelling like… that.” 

Goro hates this guy already. 

  
  
  
  


🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾

  
  
  
  


Goro sits awkwardly on the plastic stool and stares up at the shower head with his ears folded, unsure. Meanwhile, Ren lifts up a bucket of warm water and is about to pour it over his head, when Goro stops him with his paw.

“Oh come on, what’s the holdup?”

“Shut up!” Goro growls. “I-I’m… not used to this.”

Ren tilts his head. “Not used to what?  _ Bathhouses?” _

“ _ No _ ! I’m just… not a fan of water… that’s  _ all _ .”

The other neko stares at him for a moment, as if he’s had some sort of revelation. Goro doesn't like this. 

“Ahh, I see. So you  _ are  _ one of those nekos with a fear of water. That’s really odd though, considering you’re a Maine Coon—”

“I’m not  _ afraid _ of water, you shithead—!!”

“Well, just… hold still. I’ve just gotta wet you a bit and I can start scrubbing dirt off you.” Ren attempts to pour it over him again and this time he doesn’t stop. Goro instinctively swipes the bucket away and hisses at him. 

“Are you serious? Is this really how you’re gonna be?” Ren sighs. “Time for plan B then.” 

Goro stutters. “P-Plan B..? What do you mean  _ plan B?  _ Ren!!”

Ren ignores him and instead digs around in the plastic bag of shampoo and soap he brought along with them, then looks back up with a determined expression. 

“One last chance, Akechi. Get clean, or I’m making you.”

“ _ Pfft,”  _ Goro scoffs. He turns to him then, a single hand propped on his nude hip in a challenging gesture. “ _ You’re  _ going to  _ make _ me? Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“Then my answer is still  _ no _ .” 

“Fine, have it your way.”

Goro has to laugh. The audacity of this asshole. 

“Amamiya Ren, I don’t know what tricks you’re planning, but I’ve already made up my mind. There is  _ no way  _ that  _ I’m  _ getting wet—”

Goro pauses mid-sentence when he notices something bright-red glowing on the floor. He stares at it for a moment, ears perking up and twitching. His pupils dilate when it starts moving slowly across the tiled floor. 

“What is…?”

He jumps back when the red dot moves towards him, then as it moves away and starts crawling along the top of the stool, he leans forward and slams a paw atop it. But alas, he’s caught nothing. 

“What the hell is this thing?”

It doesn’t take long for his instincts to kick in and suddenly he finds himself on all four paws, tail swishing side to side, crawling along the cool tiles as he chases after this strange, red, glowy creature speeding across the bathhouse floor. His paws continuously slamming down on top of it and every time he thinks he’s got it, it’s slipped away. 

“Amamiya, are you seeing this??”

The red dot’s movement increases in speed and soon has Goro following its every movement without hesitation. He follows it up the wall as it moves higher and higher and without a second’s thought he leaps over the large tub wall after it when suddenly—

**_*SPLASH*_ **

Goro immediately realizes his grave mistake. He scrambles for a moment, but quickly sits up, gasping for air. Then he looks over at Ren, who is holding a laser pointer and smiling like the devil.

“Told you I could make you~”

Goro suddenly has the immense urge to claw this neko’s face apart. 

  
  
  


🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾

  
  
  


After an intense bathing session, Ren escorts Goro to a place called  _ Leblanc _ , some run-of-the-mill café across the street. Apparently,  _ this  _ is where he’ll be staying from now on.

“Here, sit down. I’ll make you a cup of coffee and something to eat.”

Goro sits himself comfortably on one of the barstools and taps a claw against the counter, tilting his head. “Coffee? What is that?”

“I…” the raven mews sadly. “Oh, you poor, poor soul. How do you live?”

“Don’t mock me, Amamiya.”

Ignoring his annoyance, Ren gets to work at demonstrating the art of coffee-making. 

“Alright so, there’s a few brewing methods we use here at Leblanc, but for now I’ll just show you how to do a pour-over.” The raven then produces a cylindrical glass pitcher of some sort from the cabinet, a kettle of boiling water from the stove, a paper filter, and a jar of…

“That looks like dirt.”

Ren looks at him as if he’s just offended his great ancestors. “This is  _ NOT dirt.  _ These are  _ coffee beans _ that have been ground up. Now watch me closely.”

Inserting the filter into the top part of the glass, he then scoops in a few spoonfuls of coffee grounds at an even level. “Now here’s where it gets tricky.” Then, taking the kettle of water, Ren  _ very  _ carefully pours over the grounds, taking great care to evenly distribute it across the top while ensuring it doesn’t flood. Goro watches in curiosity as a dark liquid begins to fill the glass below and a wonderful smell fills the air. 

“Hey, so…” Ren starts while simultaneously concentrating on his technique. “Feel free to not answer this if it’s too personal, but I’ve been meaning to ask…”

Goro’s face sterns. “About what?”

“Well, in the bath, I noticed that your body was sort of…” 

“Scarred?” Goro finishes for him. 

“Yeah. Why is that?” 

Goro straightens up, still watching as the liquid slowly drops down into a dark cascade. He’s silent for a few moments. After some time, he finally speaks. 

“There was a time when I didn’t have a home. I was on the streets,” he says, his tone softer than usual. “Eventually, I got picked up. It was some wealthy political family. But, it wasn’t for companionship-sake.”

“They used you for cat-fighting.”

Goro nods. “I managed to escape eventually, found myself on the street, and now I’m here.”

“Well,” Ren says as he removes the top and pours the liquid into a mug, “I’m glad you took my offer, Akechi.”

Ren slides the hot drink over to the bemused neko and smiles. 

“Try it.”

Goro raises an eyebrow. He lifts the mug carefully and sniffs, ears twitching. He decides it’s likely harmless and takes a small sip. 

His eyes instantly alight. Ears twitching as his fluffy tail lifts straight up and waves back and forth, signalling his joy. 

Ren seems delighted. “See? What’d you think?” 

“It’s…delicious,” his tone softens. “I don’t think I’ve ever had anything this flavorful and warm before…”

He brings the mug to his lips once again to take in more and more gentle sips—enthusiastic, but careful not to burn his tongue. His eyes drift close as he relaxes into the sweet, yet bitter taste. His breathing is steady. He feels at ease… 

At one point, he feels something soft place itself between his ears. Then it begins rubbing the top of his head… gently and slowly. His mind relaxes and he feels the vibrations of his purrs reverberate through his body. He hasn’t purred in who-knows-how-long… 

When he tips the last of the liquid down his throat, after a few moments of bliss, Goro’s eyes slowly lift open to reveal irises or amber… that’s when he notices the outstretched arm coming from Ren… and placed… between his… 

The mug falls from his paws and a blush burns into his cheeks. His face is agitated, but he can’t stop purring.

“You know, Goro,” the brunet nearly chokes at the use of his given name. “I hope you stay here for a while.”

  
  
  



End file.
